are there any cheap ways to soundproof an apt.?

I can't take it anymore, my upstairs neighbors are driving me crazy stomping around 24/7, plus the floor squeeks right above my bed really loud, so it wakes me up every damn morning. Not to mention the resident fuckers managers park their damn boxy monstrosity expedition outside my bedroom window (in a no parking zone, no less) and IT wakes me up again every damn morning.
I was considering taking some of that expanding foam in a can stuff and filling the void between the joists, but I'm concerened it either won't work, or I'll put too much foam in and it'll expand, popping the drywall away from the joist

not out of the question, but it's a 60 day notice, so the soonest I could move would be january, I would normally expect the daily highs to be below 0F the first part of january.
Also it's cheap rent, and I like the actual apartment.

soundproofing is hard. When we bought our flat, our neighbors could hear us whisper
A couple of things to consider, noise is like water. One path in is enough to sink a ship like wise hearing the people stomp.
Outlets generally let noise in, use foam inside them.
Heavy drapes dampen the noise from outside, Double paining with plexiglass helps a lot.
Adding layers of drywall on the ceiling with resilient channeling would do wonders. I have 3 layers of drywall and 2 of soundboard on most rooms. Drywall is cheap, if you can do it yourself, it would do wonders

Stopping foot-stomping noises is nearly damn impossible. The heavy thuds will transfer across wooden beams/joists easily, and cannot be stopped unless the whole building was designed with "floating" ceilings from the start (where nothing on the floor above connects to the ceiling below). Stomping is mostly a non-issue if the building is made entirely from concrete, however.

Moving out is likely you're only solution. If you're lucky, you can stay in the same building, but be on the top floor.

Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him...a super-callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

I had thought of that max, but the building was built in about 1974, only 1 apartment on each floor have balconies, I'm lucky enough to have the 2nd floor, the one above me is the last one, and they've lived there for 10 years.
renting in this town SUCKS, the housing costs are extremely low, but the rent is comparable to areas around portland, OR when I lived there back in the late 90's.
I'm paying 450 a month for a 2 bedroom (HUGE too, because of that mid 70's build date I figure) a nicer 2 bedroom would run me 750 a month or more
every time I live anywhere but the top floor I swear I'll never do it again, and then end up in this same situation
the stomping is bad enough, but this guy has like a 12-ish y/o daughter that ALWAYS has her annoying friends over, it sounds like a god damn track meet up there

I dealt with stuff like that last year, but it was traffic noise. I transfered to a different apartment in the same complex. A pain but it is a million times quieter. If it were people noise and it was constant that would drive me crazy. I'm already planning on moving out at the end of my current lease and buying a house. The only real option is moving out. I looked into draps, sound proofing material, all kinds of stuff. All of it was really expensive and a lot of trouble for just an apartment.

Ouch. Maybe you can find a roomie and both of you can find a nice place together?

Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him...a super-callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

Damn, I share your pain. My girlfriend and I are in a cool one bedroom right now. And the complex itself is fairly quiet... but damn, the people right above us are *so* loud. And I'm sure they aren't even really "doing" anything wrong. They're just walking. At least, that's what I think they're doing.

I swear though, sometimes it sounds like the lady throws on her high heeled shoes and runs the entire length of their apartment. *grrrr* The foot stomping is one I've not been able to put a halt to. Honestly, I don't think there's much I can do about it either. I don't feel like being a dick by going upstairs and saying something. It just isn't me only because I know they're only walking around.

Luckily enough, we're moving to a two bedroom apartment in the same complex but the only one available is once again on the first floor.

Philip, I can sympathise with your situation as I also live in an apartment (thankfully a quiet one). Still, there's definite irony here: people on a home theatre forum complaining about their noisy neighbours.
Adam

I lived in apartments for many years and I was constantly being woken up by my loud neighbors. I bought a white noise machine and it drowned out all the noise and I slept like a baby. Buy one of these, they cost 20-50 bucks and really work!

Bobby Boucher:I like college and I like football and I'm gonna keep doin' 'em both cause they make me happy! [Slams door,then comes back.] And you're wrong, Mama! Alligators are ornery because of their medulla oblongata! [Slams door,then comes back.] And I like Vickie Vallencourt and she...

I can't take it anymore, my upstairs neighbors are driving me crazy....

If you think you're having a rough time, let me tell you what I went through.
I lived on the top floor so I don't have to worry about anyone above me. But the guy below was a heavy smoker! The smell always gets in my apartment! Then the married couple next door neighbor always gets into a fight. I hate the slamming of doors and when she locks him out.
Then there was the bats. Hundreds were inside the attic space above me. Sometimes they find thier way inside my apartment. I couldn't stand the sound they make when they were inside the walls.
Now I have a house of my own. I'm NEVER going back to an apartment again!

the people down the hall smoke heavily, and often have parties full of people that smoke, so I get that smell too, it fills everything.

we have a small parking problem too, people can park in front of their garages, then we can park along the garages for the building next door, and there are FOUR other parking spots, so 14 spare parking spots max. 2 bedroom apartments only have a single car garage, so only one spot. Some ass had his boat in the lot all summer, another guy has 2 cars that don't run, and there's another car that hasn't moved since I lived here. The street way at the end of the 30 or so garages is no parking on the far side, the side that actually has room for parking, this side has driveways every 20 feet, so the resident assholes parking in the tow away zone right out my window is especially annoying.

I feel this thread. A while back, I lived under a single mom and her 3 Teradactyl teenage daughters. Their stomping was loud as hell. Especially since the girl who lived there before weighed about 90lbs. and pranced like a pixie(heaven). It got so bad I went up there and asked them "Are you doing Kung Fu or something?"
I had finally had enough, I set out and searched for the perfect place, in which I found. 4 flats, 4 adults, I put myself on the waiting list and hounded them monthly, 3 years later it paid off.
Philip, one of the only choices is to move. Just take your time, and find the place that suits you. Stakeout the place and observe its activity.